Lori Loughlin, the “Full House” actor who paid half a million dollars in a scam to get her two daughters into college, was sentenced Friday to two months in prison.
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty in May to charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud for their roles in “securing the fraudulent admission” of their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, to the University of Southern California “as purported athletic recruits” on the crew team, the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts said at the time.
The pair paid $500,000 to William Rick Singer, the ringleader behind the scam, to secure their daughters’ place on the crew team even though the two girls never took part in the sport before. Giannulli was sentenced to five months behind bars.
Loughlin, best known for her role as Aunt Becky on “Full House,” was among dozens of prominent public figures charged in the scandal, which was exposed in March 2019 in what the FBI called a nationwide conspiracy.
Prosecutors called Giannulli “the more active participant in the scheme” and said Loughlin “took a less active role, but was nonetheless fully complicit.”
The two initially pleaded not guilty, which would have led to a court trial that could have landed them in prison for as many as 20 years if they were found guilty. Instead, the couple entered May’s plea deal, which significantly reduced the potential sentence.
As part of the deal, Loughlin will pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service, and Giannulli will pay $250,000 and perform 250 hours of community service.